Dear VAHC members and friends,
Thanks to all those who already responded to the property owners’ survey on underutilized rental assistance vouchers. For those who have not yet responded, we are extending the deadline to close of business next Tuesday, September 10.
This is a short, quick survey. So far the average time to fill it out has been only 11 minutes!
If you are a housing owner/provider or property manager and have not yet responded, please do so as soon as you can. Your response will help inform the findings and recommendations of the AHS Work Group on Vouchers and Supportive Services in their report to the Legislature.
Please note: These survey questions are primarily geared towards housing providers, as opposed to the earlier survey geared towards service providers.
If you missed our earlier email about the survey, or are otherwise unfamiliar with the issue of underutilization of specialized rental assistance vouchers, please see the background info below.
Please feel free to forward to others in your organization/network.
Thanks for your cooperation in this important effort to identify why Vermont is leaving critical rental assistance resources on the table and how we can avoid this in the future.
Erhard Mahnke VAHC Coordinator
BACKGROUND: The Legislature has directed the Agency of Human Services (AHS) to convene a work group of multiple departments and external organizations to determine why certain specialized housing subsidies have been returned due to underutilization.
Last month, numerous organizations helped the work group circulate a survey geared towards service providers. The second survey on specialized housing vouchers and supportive services is geared towards property owners and managers. The two surveys together will help inform the findings and recommendations of the AHS work group mandated in the State’s FY 20 Appropriations Act.
Because the Point-in-Time (PIT) count and other data collected demonstrate a need for rental assistance among Vermonters experiencing homelessness, it is critical that the Legislative Report explore a variety of factors that could be contributing to underutilization.
Goal: to leverage the perspectives, expertise and access of working group members to support and the Agency’s response to the three primary questions in the legislative report:
The working group is consulting with community-based housing and human services providers to examine the following:
whether existing expenditures on case management or other services for this vulnerable population could be utilized as match to draw federal specialized voucher funds and
Vermont’s current allocation of housing assistance funds to ensure Vermont maximizes the ability of the state to draw down feral voucher funds and
any other recommendations the working group may make to help avoid further loss of these specialized vouchers